Privacy Policy
Heisman Privacy Policy
Covering Heisman.com and hopefuls.heisman.com
Effective Date: August 3rd, 2026
This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how The Heisman Trophy Trust (“Heisman,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) collects, uses, discloses, and retains personal information in connection with the websites located at heisman.com and the Heisman Hopefuls platform located at hopefuls.heisman.com (together, the “Sites”), as well as participation in the Heisman Hopefuls fan voting experience.
1. Personal Information We Collect
In connection with the Heisman Hopefuls Fan Vote and general use of the Sites, we may collect:
- Direct identifiers such as first name, last name, and email address (required to participate in the Fan Vote).
- Your voting selections and activity on the Sites, including your ranked ballot submissions.
- Marketing and communications preferences.
- Technical information including browser and device fingerprinting, IP address, cookies, and Captcha responses.
- Usage data automatically collected when you interact with the Sites, such as system logs.
We may collect your personal information directly from you, automatically through the use of cookies and similar technologies, and from third parties (such as social media platforms, advertising partners, sponsors, and commercial partners).
2. How We Use Personal Information
The ways in which we use your personal information depends on why we collect it and other internal business uses, which may include:
- To administer, audit, and validate the Heisman Hopefuls Fan Vote.
- To monitor for and prevent fraudulent, automated, or otherwise improper voting activity.
- To communicate with you regarding Heisman, including marketing and promotional messages (such as via email or text).
- To analyze trends and improve the Sites and the Heisman Hopefuls platform.
- To comply with legal obligations and enforce our rights.
3. Sharing of Personal Information
We may share personal information in the following limited circumstances:
- Service Providers. We may share information with service providers who perform functions on our behalf, such as platform hosting, vote processing and auditing, analytics, and security services. These providers include, without limitation, our platform and voting partners engaged to operate the Heisman Hopefuls Fan Vote.
- Sponsors and Partners. Where you have opted in or when we have otherwise notified you, we may make your personal information available to sponsors and partners of the Heisman Hopefuls Fan Vote. By opting in, you understand and agree that you are interacting with both Heisman and our sponsors. Any sponsor’s or partner’s use of your personal information is subject to that company’s own privacy policy.
- Legal Requirements. We may disclose information as required by law or in response to valid legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Heisman, our users, or others.
- We may share your personal information as part of a reorganization or other change in organizational structure.
4. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, including administering and auditing the Fan Vote, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
5. Cookies and Similar Technologies
The Sites use cookies and similar technologies for functionality, analytics, and fraud prevention. Depending on where you live, you may see a cookie consent banner that allows you to make choices with respect to the non-essential cookies and similar technologies we use. To learn more about cookies and other technologies, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org. Most web and mobile device browsers automatically accept cookies. If you prefer, you can change your browser to prevent that or to notify you each time a cookie is set.
6. Your Choices and Rights
You may opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions included in each communication. Please note that if you have interacted with one of our partners or sponsors, you will separately need to opt out of receiving marketing communications directly with them.
If you are a resident of Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, or Oregon, you may have rights with respect to the personal information we maintain about you. Those rights may include the following:
- To know and receive a copy of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you; the categories of sources from which that personal information was collected; and how we have sold or otherwise disclosed your personal information. Residents of certain states may also request a specific list of third parties to whom we disclose your personal information.
- To correct inaccuracies in personal information that we maintain about you.
- To delete your personal information that we have obtained.
- To opt out of (i) the sale of your personal information, and (ii) the processing of your personal information for targeted advertising purposes.
- To non-discrimination. You have the right to not be discriminated against if you exercise your privacy rights under this privacy notice.
If you reside in a state where we are required to comply with these privacy rights, we will take steps to honor them subject to any applicable exemptions. You may have the right to appeal our decision if we deny your rights request.
We will take steps to verify your identity before processing your request to know, correct, or delete. We will not fulfill your request unless you have provided sufficient information for us to verify you are the individual about whom we collected personal information.
Depending on where you live, you may use an authorized agent to submit a request. When we verify your agent’s request, we may verify both your and your agent’s identity and request a signed document from you that authorizes your agent to make the request on your behalf. To protect your personal information, we reserve the right to deny a request from an agent that does not submit proof that they have been authorized by you to act on their behalf.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 11. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.
To opt out of sale or processing of your personal information for targeted advertising purposes, please email [email protected]. You may also submit an opt-out request using a preference signal that is sent in a commonly used and recognized format, such as the Global Privacy Control.
7. International Users and Data Transfers
If you are located outside the United States and choose to use the Sites or participate in the Heisman Hopefuls Fan Vote, your personal information will be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States or other countries that may not provide the same level of data protection as your home jurisdiction.
8. Children’s Privacy
The Sites are not directed toward children under the age of thirteen (13), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such information, we will delete it.
9. Security
We employ commercially reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect your information, including the fraud-prevention measures used to secure the Fan Vote. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. Where changes affect processing based on your consent, we will obtain new consent where required. The date at the top of this Policy indicates when it was last revised, and we encourage you to review it periodically.
12. Contact Information
The Heisman Trophy Trust
111 Broadway, Lobby Suite 100
New York, NY 10006
